Information Available Through Government Agencies

Information Available Through Government Agencies
Government Level
Agency/Program Name
Possible Information
Federal ATSDR Regional Representatives Office
  • ATSDR and EPA site files
  • Names of state, local, and tribal contacts
Federal EPA Superfund / CERCLA Program
  • Site history
  • Community concerns and community involvement activities
  • Environmental monitoring data (obtain in electronic format, if possible)
  • Remedial activities
  • Contact names for other agencies and community members
Federal EPA RCRA Program
  • Site history
  • RCRA permit information
  • Community concerns and community involvement activities
  • Environmental monitoring data
  • Remedial or corrective actions
  • Contact names for other agencies and community members
Federal EPA Air Data (various databases)
  • Air quality data collected at outdoor monitors across the U.S.
  • ICIS-AIR compliance and permit data for stationary sources of air pollution
Federal U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) /
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
  • Site history
  • Environmental monitoring data
  • Restoration program activities
  • Cleanup schedules
  • Future land uses
Federal Indian Health Service (IHS) Tribal concerns/IHS environmental health programs in site area
Federal Tribal governments Specific tribal concerns related to the site
Federal Fish and Wildlife Service Natural resource uses and possibly food chain (biota) concerns
Federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • Climatic information (e.g., wind direction, rainfall)
  • Mussel Watch Program’s coastal water monitoring data on chemical contaminants and biological indicators of water quality
Federal Soil Conservation Service (SCS)
  • Soil information (e.g., soil types, erosion)
  • Regional agricultural pesticide use
Federal U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Soil information
  • Regional agricultural practices
Federal U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
  • Geologic and hydrologic information (e.g., contour maps, well locations, topographic maps)
  • Minerals Science Team’s mineral sampling data (e.g., water, soil)
Federal U.S. Department of Commerce Maps and census data for the area around the site
Federal U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Relevant files and data for sites that had prior use of nuclear material.
Federal U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Data on nutrients found in various foods and food products.
State Health Department
  • Reported health concerns
  • Health outcome data
  • Public meeting records
  • Names of local contacts
State Environmental
  • Reported contaminant releases
  • Environmental monitoring data
  • Specific concerns at and near the site
  • Information on ongoing/planned remedial actions
  • Well drilling logs for private or public water supplies
State Natural resources Enforcement data
State Emergency response Reported releases from the site and surrounding industries
Local and county Health department, hospitals, clinics
  • Health concerns or complaints
  • Disease/cancer registries or disease clusters in the area
Local and county

 

Water department
  • Location and depth of current/historical municipal supply wells
  • Compliance monitoring results
  • Private well location and use
  • Location of surface water intakes
  • Types of treatment systems in place, currently and historically
Local and county

 

Library
  • City directories with names and addresses of residents who live or may live near a site
  • Collections of historical information about a site/company, especially if the company was a major employer in the area
  • Repositories of site investigation reports, etc.
Local and county Planners Demographic information; past, present, future development
Local and county Environmental
  • Contamination concerns or complaints
  • Environmental sampling or monitoring data
Local and county Local game wardens Fishing and hunting activities
Local and county Extension services Information on local soil conditions and plants
Local and county Neighborhood revitalization zone committees Information about community issues and concerns
Local and county Elected officials (town representatives, alderman, council members, etc.) Information about the community, site area, etc.
Local and county Planning and zoning committee members Information about the local area, planned future land use, etc.
Page last reviewed: August 4, 2022